Which Falcon’s Flight records (if any) do you think could be beaten?

[Matt N]

In just 5 days’ time, Falcon’s Flight will be opening at Six Flags Qiddiya in Saudi Arabia. This is a huge moment for the industry; the ride will be the tallest, fastest and longest coaster on Earth, and many believed that it would never open! But with the ride breaking three records, some of them quite decisively, it does beg the question; will it ever be topped? Will any of those 3 records ever be beaten, and will we ever have a ride like Falcon’s Flight again? Or is this as good as record-breaking in roller coasters is going to get?

Personally, I could potentially see height and speed being beaten, but I think length is a record that Falcon’s Flight is very unlikely to ever lose.

Of the three “main” records, I feel like height and speed are not as difficult to beat. Given that cars are reaching upwards of 200mph and we have buildings of well over 1,000ft high, the current benchmark for roller coasters is relative child’s play in engineering terms. On paper, all you need to do to gain the height and speed records is just draw out the Kingda Ka-style layout a little bit more and you’re golden (I know it’s not quite that trivial, but you get what I mean). It’s also worth noting that the usurping margin for speed in particular is not particularly decisive; Falcon’s Flight will only be 5mph faster than Formula Rossa. During stress tests of Falcon’s Flight, they have launched it up to 170mph, so at very least, we know a coaster at least 15mph faster is theoretically possible! I think height is maybe more difficult, but not insurmountable; I could see a top hat a bit taller than Falcon’s Flight’s highest point being feasible. With this in mind, I could see height and speed possibly being beaten at some point in the future.

However, I think length is a tougher nut to crack. Obscene length is a record that has a surprising amount of longevity compared to height and speed (Steel Dragon 2000 is 25 years old, and it’s worth noting that the current 2nd longest coaster in the absence of The Ultimate is The Beast at Kings Island, which opened way back in 1979), likely because it costs a lot more to achieve than height or speed (length actually requires a substantial ride), and Falcon’s Flight broke the record by such a decisive margin (almost 6,000ft when the existing holder is only 8,133ft long!) that I’m not sure I ever see it being beaten.

With this in mind, I do feel that Falcon’s Flight could be the last time we see all three “main” roller coaster records broken in one fell swoop, simply because I think it could really cling onto that length record regardless of what happens with height and speed.

But I’d be keen to know; do you ever see any of Falcon’s Flight’s records being beaten? And if so, which ones?

 

[Zeock]

I think that the speed record could be beaten for the reasons that you suggested. If it is broken, it will likely be a launch coaster that does it.

 

[Themeparksandy1981]

Now I don’t want to talk about this coaster been in Saudi Arabia with it’s laws and the high temperatures with really just Parts of Autumn and all of winter the only manageable times of the year you could go there with the temperatures been 20 to low 30’s.
Anyway so let’s say cause of the laws and the temperatures the park turns out to be like hard rock park and closes will theses records still stand if it’s been removed? Could a park buy it when add an extra piece of track to take the length record?

 

[rob666]

Yet again...like Oakwoods coaster...It isn't going to fit anywhere else!
Find a matching cliff face and ground terrain!
Going nowhere, ever, apart from the current site.

It could all be beaten with desire, but that desire, tied to cost, means probably not.
All you need is a big quarry and full shield cars.

This thing will not make money, the plan is to drag tourists in, a huge loss leader if you like.

It may become the next Ring Racer, but as people have ridden it, it has already beaten the Orphan Rocker.

 

[Donkey]

I think height is most likely but it will be some fudge like a tower/polar coaster which is built for other purposes as well. Falcon's Flight obviously takes advantage of the cliff to reduce the amount of steel required for the highest section and upwards launch track quite a bit but they legimately used a huge amount of steel for the rest of the layout and huge airtime hill.

Falcon's Flight is probably getting close to terminal velocity just gravity assisted, hence why it needs the big downwards LSM boost to get the speed record. Cars can go 200mph+ but they have an engine. The energy required to drag increases enormously the faster you go. The hydraulic or air powered launches might have been able to beat that but Intamin have moved away from hydraulic launches and the most S&S have ever done is just over 100mph.

Length goes with speed and height. The main reason Falcon's Flight is so long is because the transitions need to be so long and drawn out because of the speed and height. A coaster that is a more conventional height and speed would probably need 3 or 4 lifts to break the record and that might end up either being too long and relentless in terms of rideability or too boring. Would the general public (not enthusiasts) enjoy doing something like two laps of The Voyage consecutively?

 

[rob666]

So find a bigger cliff to chuck it off, and force terminal velocity out of the equation with a few more big magnets on the way down.

Only money will stop this being beaten.

Maybe another rich state in the middle east?

 

[Tim]

From an engineering perspective length is actually the easiest to beat. Just look at The Ultimate. It's listed as only costing £5 million, which is less than an equivalent SW project at Towers.
There's nothing stopping an ambitious park with a lot of land from just building a simple terrain hugging coaster with multiple lift hills or launches.
If we count Alpine Coasters (and I dont see why we shouldn't) then Falcons Flight won't even be the longest coaster as it has already been beaten by 1000m!

 

[DiogoJ42]

It's a bit like the moon landings: Once you've proven you can do it, is there any actual reason to keep doing it, other than bragging rights?
Until we invent replicators, cost is always going to be the limiting factor of what humans can build.

 

[GJMarshy]

Height.

Despite the park claiming FF has a "640ft drop off a cliff", It actually has a drop of about 250-300ft drop followed by a long, straight, downward launch. The *real* tallest drop (following the camelback) is closer to 525ft.

Supposing some other rich Arab state, or maybe even China, or vegas (at a push) wanted to break that record, they could easily do it. Superman: Escape from Krypton is still classed as a coaster, and it's basically just a launch and a spike "shuttle". Minimal track, low-complexity.

There'll definitely be a coaster taller than FF, 600ft+ "true drop", but I doubt it'd be as long with such sustained speeds,

So scale? Probably not for decades.

Height? Definitely.
Speed? Possible but diminishing returns. Stops being fun when your face hurts!
Length? Unlikely.

 

[Bowser]

I think the issue is Falcon has moved the bar so far beyond anything else.

It’s not only simultaneously taken 3 records but it has combined them to create the ultimate fantasy rollercoaster.

Now someone else can technically take one of the records but it will almost certainly be a far lesser coaster. A higher speed but a poor layout. A longer track but a boring experience. So at that point the record becomes a negative and you have to question the benefit of doing it.

They can all be beaten but I don’t think they will be. Certainly not whilst the ride is operational.

 

[Tim]

Height.

Despite the park claiming FF has a "640ft drop off a cliff", It actually has a drop of about 250-300ft drop followed by a long, straight, downward launch. The *real* tallest drop (following the camelback) is closer to 525ft.

Supposing some other rich Arab state, or maybe even China, or vegas (at a push) wanted to break that record, they could easily do it. Superman: Escape from Krypton is still classed as a coaster, and it's basically just a launch and a spike "shuttle". Minimal track, low-complexity.

There'll definitely be a coaster taller than FF, 600ft+ "true drop", but I doubt it'd be as long with such sustained speeds,

So scale? Probably not for decades.

Height? Definitely.
Speed? Possible but diminishing returns. Stops being fun when your face hurts!
Length? Unlikely.

I don't see why the full 640ft shouldn't count as one drop. The train never levels out at any point during that drop. The gradient isn't consistent but it's still travelling down at a significant enough angle that it should count as a single drop. If built that in RCT it would count as 1 drop. Or for anouther real world example you wouldn't say Wickerman has 2 Lift hills just because it changes gradient part way through.

In short the guests are still falling 640ft over a single drop, it just levels out in an unconventional way.